BSA Releases 5 Decisions
The Authority has not upheld two complaints about an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report with Sue Grey, lawyer for the parents of a baby whose urgent heart surgery had been delayed due to the parents’ concerns about blood from donors vaccinated against COVID-19. The essence of the complaints was that the host did not listen to Grey, constantly interrupted her, did not allow her to answer the questions, and pushed his personal views. The Authority found the interview did not go beyond the level of robust scrutiny that could reasonably be expected in an interview with Grey on this subject, noting in particular that Grey was making claims contrary to public health advice, and was able to put forward key points in the course of the eight-minute interview. Therefore, the broadcast overall did not result in any unfairness to Grey. The balance, accuracy, and children’s interests standards either did not apply or were not breached. This and other recently released decisions can be seen here.